MARGAO: A meeting held to resolve the issue of fees for fish carrying vehicles at the wholesale fish market in Fatorda ended without a conclusive decision. The South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) assured that the matter would be settled by the end of June.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai warned that if the issue is not resolved in the next meeting scheduled for June 29, he would raise it in the upcoming Assembly session. Tensions at the market recently escalated due to allegations that the contractor was overcharging fish vehicles, necessitating police intervention to defuse a physical altercation.
The meeting aimed to address these concerns but failed to reach a definitive conclusion on the fees for vehicles entering the market with fish. Complications arose with the entry of six and eight-wheeler vehicles, which posed additional logistical and pricing challenges. Some members felt a re-assessment was necessary before finalising the fee structure.
“We have fixed rates for heavy and light motor vehicles entering the wholesale fish market. The recent issue arose because of the entry of vehicles with six and eight wheels,” said Krishna ‘Daji’ Salkar, Chairman of SGPDA.
Salkar also informed reporters that a fresh sopo tender would be floated by the end of June. “We have made some changes to the tender, particularly providing relaxation to interested parties with regards to the requirement for prior experience to apply,” said Salkar. Additionally, SGPDA plans to implement pay parking in areas owned by them soon.
Sardesai suggested a reassessment of the fee structure and less stringent conditions in the sopo collection tender. “The conditions in the sopo collection tender should not be overly strict to allow local fishermen or traders the opportunity to participate if interested. If local fishermen, including Ramponnkars, and traders are considering jointly managing the market, their intentions should be taken into account,” he stated.
“We need a holistic solution to the issue of the wholesale fish market,” said Sardesai.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat mentioned that e-tendering would be done by the end of the month to address the sopo issue. “The fee structure has already been established, but now we need to determine the rates for trailers entering the wholesale fish market with fish stock,” he said.
